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Authoring Web Sites in XHTML
Darlene [email protected]
University of Saskatchewan LibraryCanada
Internet Librarian International
26 March, 2003
Birmingham, UK
Overview
Frameworks Portlets Why use XHTML? XHTML syntax
How XHTML differs from HTML
XHTML and CSS XHTML tools
Yesterday
Today
Computer - Device
Static HTMLhand coding
HTML
Tag EditorsHTML, Forms,
Client Side Scripts
WSIWYG & Management Tools
Distributed Authoring
Dynamic / DatabaseSQL & Perl/PHP/ASP
Portals & Personalization“My Library”
Objects - XML
Portals & PortletsWeb ServicesXML, SOAP
Web Page
Web Site
Web Services
CMSAuthoring & workflow
Content Challenges in 2003: Document Collections
Storage & Management Content Structure
Work Ease of use Ease of creation Good retrieval
Service Challenges
Just in Time Repackaging
Over the Long Term Preservation Migration
HTML Simple, general-purpose document
markup language Simple hyperlinking Designed for collaborative authoring Combined authoring and viewing
roles
HTML Strengths Open standard Lots of tools and applications Easy and cheap Rapidly adopted
HTML Weaknesses Not extensible Supports only “simple” document
types Mixes presentation and structure Cross-browser wars
XML
More meaningful searches Flexible web applications
data from disparate sources/applications
client processing multiple views granular updates
Open standard Unicode Hope --> good for web delivery
What is XHTML? Called “Next generation” HTML HTML that conforms to XML
standards Will eventually support integration
with other XML applications Device independent web access
Why use XHTML?
Most documents on the Internet are in HTML – this is the logical next step
Simpler than XML for most authors XHTML documents are XML
compliant, which allows you to use XML tools such as XSL
Future -- XHTML easier than HTML with the next generation of browsers
Why do We Need XHTML?
Both HTML and SGML have major drawbacks.
XML’s use for encoding web documents is still at early stages of adoption
Benefits of Adoption Easier to develop software
handle specialized information distributed over the Web
Process data using inexpensive software
Allows greater end-user control of information display stylesheets
Metadata for resource discovery
XHTML - What does it take?
All documents must have a doctype declaration The transitional doctype declaration--
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/transitional.dtd">
Head and body Syntax
XHTML – 3 Variations
Strict <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/strict.dtd"> Used when CSS is used for all your formatting
Transitional <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/transitional.dtd">
Frameset <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0
Frameset//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/frameset.dtd">
Syntax: Lower case Case matters
HTML: <Title> or <TITLE> or <title>
XHTML:<title>
Syntax: Attributes Attributes must be quoted
HTML <p class=quotes>
XHTML<p class=“quotes”>
Syntax: Close Elements All tags must be closed
HTML: <p>Le chien dort. <p>La chat joue.
XHTML: <p>Le chien dort. </p><p>La chat joue.</p>
Syntax: Empty Elements Empty elements must be terminated
HTML:<br>
XHTML:<br />
Elements Must Be Nested
<bigdoll> <mediumdoll>
<littledoll><littlestdoll/>
</littledoll><mediumdoll>
</bigdoll>
Scripts
<script> and <style> tags must be marked as CDATA
<script><!-- < ]]> - -></script>
Tip: Place your scripts in a external file.
Use entities for all ampersands
<a href="http://www.lights.ca/cgi-bin/script.cgi?what=chien&id=9">
<a href="http://www.lights.ca/cgi-bin/script.cgi?what=chien& id=9">
Style Sheets & XHTML
The use of external style sheets is recommended
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href=“lib.css" />
The type attribute is mandatory for <style> tag – text/css
Enclose inline styles with <![CDATA[ and the ending tag ]]>
Find Out More: XHTML syntax
W3Chttp://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/
XHTML: le web devient coopératif http://www.xhtml.net/
XHTML.org http://www.xhtml.org
Darlene Fichter. “Web Authoring in XHTML”. ONLINE Magazine November/December 2002 www.findarticles.com
What about conversion?
HTMLTidy http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/tidy/
Resources for Conversion
Converting HTML documents to XHTML by Bejoy Alex Jaisonhttp://www22.brinkster.com/beeandnee/techzone/articles/htmltoxhtml.asp
Roy Tennant. XML for Libraries. Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2002.
XHTML Validators
Validator http://validator.w3.org/
Typical Web Author
XHTML is available in standard tools Macromedia Dreamweaver HTML-Kit Macromedia HomeSite 5 NoteTab Pro
Content Provider
Usually authoring in Word Import in Dreamweaver Run it through a program like HTML
TIDY
New York Public Librarywww.nypl.org/styleguide/
Major Project
Consider the value of the content over the long term
Likelihood of delivery to “appliances”
If there is an XML “dialect”, use it If not, use XHTML (ideally XML
rendered as XHTML)
Example: Law Cases 1994
527 law cases edited, and formatted as HTML rigourous coding rules, poor validation Cost: $150,000
2001 converted to XML, DTD creation, enhanced,
rendered as XHTML Cost: $15,000
Future Cost < $300
http;// library.usask.ca/native/cnlch.html
Canadian Native Law Cases
Developers
Repackaging, reuse, migration, archiving
Code How long will this content be around? Always wise to separate presentation
from content Decision/Balance
Short term pain/effort vs. long term gain?
XHTML & You
XHTML will make your life a little more challenging
XHTML will make your computer happier (eventually)
Silver Bullets? XHTML / XML No! In fact, these new choices just
raise some interesting challenges Only certainty is change
Content will outlive devices!
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